Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles More accurate 30-06, 280, 270, 308?

270
308
30-06
280

If we are talking ease of finding the best shooting load.

Ive owned them all...without any hesitation the .308 is by far the most accurate. Its also very easy to get good velocity. Its likely the easiest cartridge out there to handload for. It also has a bench rest pedigree though so it should be no surprise.

Finn Aagard had it right about the 308 imho

So, OP, as you can see, every cartridge has taken its turn at any given spot, 1-4. Just choose what you want the most!

Likely the 4 best hunting cartridges ever created...id add the 7x57 to complete the worlds top 5 for everything up to cape buffalo and elephant and truth be told id bet the 06 and 308 kill a bunch every year

I have owned all 4, and right now I own three 270s, three 308s and three 30-06s.
My 280 was a good shooter but not as good as many other rifles I have owned and do own now. I sold it about 20 year ago.
Of the 9 rifles in the 3 calibers the one I own now that is the most accurate is a 270, but I don't shoot factory loads at all. I reload all my own ammo.

2 of my 30-06s are iron sighted rifles and so is one 270, so I can't say how accurate they are but I can say they are more accurate than I am because as I have aged, I find I can't shoot them as well as I once did.
My 2 auto loading 308s are a Ruger SR762 which I can keep into about 1.3 MOA and an AR10ish rifle I made myself that shoots to about 1 MOA. My Mossberg bolt action MVP out shoots both of them and keeps most of it's round into about .8 MOA.
My one scoped 30-06 only shoots about 1.5MOA.
My two scoped 270s shoot very well. One, the older of the 2, shoots 130 grain bullets under MOA, averaging about .8 to about .75" The newer one shoots 150 grain bullets so well I don't tell folks for fear they would not believe it, but to say it shoots sub MOA is a gross understatement.
I have owed a 308 in the past that was as accurate as my newer 270 and I also had a good 30-06 once that shot into about .6 MOA many times.
So the caliber is not as important as the individual barrel and ammo of any rifle. I do not believe any of those calibers is "more accurate" then the rest.

It depends on the individual rifle and the ammo.

308

Never owned a 280, prefer the 06 of the others

I say it depends on the individual rifle. I've been shocked by some cartridges labelled not overly accurate, and also by some said to be inherently accurate.

It always surprises me how much faith people put in an engineering constant. I look to better rifle construction and take what they say on the BC. All of the subject calibers can preform well with a good barrel. Take your pick. You can’t go wrong.

Call your favourite benchrest gunsmith and ask him to build you a 308 that will shoot quarter minute. They will say no problem. Ask him to build any of the others that will shoot under a half minute, he won’t do it. Accuracy wise, there’s no comparison, 308 is far more accurate.

Just because your rifle may not be capable of shooting to the 308s potential, doesn’t mean the 308 is no more accurate.

I don’t own a 308, haven’t for several years, but facts is facts.

RickF has your answer. The question wasn't about what barrel, what your rifles can do, or if you can go wrong. The question was which is most accurate when built to a standard. .308W wins.

.270 and .280 are unheard of for competition. .The 30-06 had its day, however the .308W outshines them all when it comes to accuracy trophies on the shelf. The others don't even come close.

I only have 270 and 06 out of those choices.
My tc venture 270 out shoots the 06 tikka

And that relates to the original question in what way?

No comparison? B.S.

Granted, the .308 has some desirable design characteristics, including a relatively short case. But cartridge design is only one part of rifle accuracy. To suggest a well built.rifle chambered for a 30-06 case length cartridge can't be quarter MOA is just nuts.

Find one and get back to us. What we think we know and feelings don’t matter, facts do.

And let’s not forget that when talking about the accuracy of a rifle, it is what it can be expected to do any time you sit down with it in decent conditions. Not that one group that we saved from two years ago.

One might build some heavy lab rifles and do a bunch of testing to determine which generates the most consistent pressures, velocity, yada yada yada......

or just pick one and go hunting.

I've been known to pick the odd nit, but am leaving this one be as the bones are already well-chewed.

Never had a factory 270 that wouldn't shoot under 1" @ 100 with factory ammo.

My 280AI is sub .5 MOA, but being a custom, not a fair comparison.

I have 2 out 4 calibers mentioned, and for me, the 270 is more accurate than the 06

I've owned all four. Every 270 I've owned has been accurate but I cant say the same about the 308's I've had.

1 270
2 30-06
3 280
4 308